Colorado University Athletics
Leyba Receives Colorado Sportswoman Honors
January 28, 2026 | Soccer
DENVER— Colorado All-American forward Hope Leyba added yet another award the mantel, earning Colorado Sportswoman of the Year for the college soccer category, the organization announced late last week.
It's the second consecutive season a CU soccer player has won the award, with her teammate Jordan Nytes earning the honor for 2024.
Leyba exploded in production for the Buffaloes in 2025. Before the start of the year, Leyba had just 10 goals in 43 games in her first two seasons at CU. She closed the 2025 season as the nation's leading goalscorer with 22 goals in the Buffs' 24 matches.
She set CU program records in goals and points (45) this season, helping her to Big 12 Forward of the Year honors. Leyba recorded two hat tricks in 2025, becoming the first CU player to have multiple three-goal efforts in the same season and just the second Buff to tally multiple hat tricks in a career. She got off to a scorching hot start to the season, posting goals in each of CU's first five matches. She had three multi-goal games in the five-match span, totaling a CU record nine goals through the first five matches, including two of her six game-winners. Leyba posted a second five-game scoring streak later in conference play, helping the Buffs go 4-0-1 with seven goals in the stretch.
The standout forward led the Big 12 in just about every offensive category and ranked fourth in the NCAA in total points, fourth in goals per game (0.92), ninth in points per game (1.88), 16th in both shots per game (4.04) and shots on goal per game (2.00).
Leyba was also selected as a finalist for Top Drawer Soccer's Player of the Year and was a semifinalist for the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy.
She was one of 24 players who attended the U.S. National Team Development Camp last week.
For more information on Colorado Soccer, please visit cubuffs.com/soccer. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffssoccer on Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook.
